What can I do, as an end user, when a testing package on the gentoo tree has been outdated for a while? I know I can just download the tar file of the source code and compile it myself, but I wonder if there is anything else I can do to help on the gentoo repos.
For example Waybar has a 0.9.18 version available upstream, but not on gentoo. This version was released about a month ago, and includes compatibility for dwl. It’s not really an issue for me, since I compiled the 0.9.18 version manually, but I’d like to know if there is anything I can do to help.
Sorry if I’m not using all the correct terminology; I’m new to gentoo.
You can either use the 9999 slot of that package, which is the latest git commit or kindly ask for a version bump on the gentoo bug tracker and the package maintainer will package the new version or like someone else said, use your own ebuild in an overlay, as last resort
Thanks!
Updating most ebuilds often just requires copying and the file to a new version. There are a few commands run using the
ebuildandpkgdevpackages to do things like updating the package manifest.More complex packages require an update to the build scripts, however this isn’t typically the case between point releases.
See https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Basic_guide_to_write_Gentoo_Ebuilds for a quick start guide.
You can submit PRs on GitHub (gentoo/gentoo); the community is welcoming and offers constructive feedback. And
on IRC is available to provide support if you get stick.Give it a try!
Edit:
It’s not really an issue for me, since I compiled the 0.9.18 version manually, but I’d like to know if there is anything I can do to help.
It’s not a great idea to do that yourself. Learn to update ebuilds and have portage manage package updates for you; that why we have a package manager after all!
